South Africa: Today’s latest news and headlines, Friday 20 August 2021

We’ve got all the latest news stories and headlines in South Africa you really need to know on Friday 20 August 2021.

Fearing a bout of vaccine hesitancy, the government has now allowed 18-34-year-olds to start registering for the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s a long-awaited step as the vaccine rollout seems to have slowed down and concern has been raised about certain elderly people’s reluctance to get the jab.

In related news, don’t expect lockdown Level 3 to be lifted anytime soon. Cabinet announced that there are no plans to change the current lockdown restrictions.

TODAY’S LATEST NEWS IN SOUTH AFRICA, Friday 20 August

Aged 18 to 34? You can locate your nearest SA vaccination centre HERE

The time has come! From Friday 20 August, South Africans aged between 18 to 34 will be able to get their COVID-19 vaccinations, joining the rest of the country in the process. It means that, by tomorrow, every adult in the country will have been offered the chance to get a jab – but there are a few logistical issues to clarify.

First and foremost, trying to register on the Department of Health’s portal today won’t get you very far today – IF you are aged 34 or younger. It’s still only accessible to people who are 35 or older – but there’s no need to panic.

Simply find your nearest vaccination centre, walk-in on the day you plan to get jabbed, and register on the EVDS system with the help of a health professional at your chosen facility. You will have to answer a set of pre-screening questions, before you are taken through to a waiting area alongside other attendees.

Bad news: Level 3 lockdown won’t be ending anytime soon…

Cabinet has confirmed that the current Level 3 lockdown regulations will remain in place for the foreseeable future. The news comes after spokesperson Phumla Williams briefed the media on several matters.

As well as providing updates on economic support measures and other government business, Williams also congratulated Olympians Tatjana Schoenmaker and Bianca Buitendag – the only South Africans to win medals in Tokyo.

Mother murders her children to spite their grandmother

Comedian SABC Livhu is being cancelled left, right and centre on Thursday, after a serious set of allegations were made against him. Both his partner and her daughter accused the performer of ‘committing GBV‘ against them.

Gender-Based Violence is one of the most pressing issues confronting South Africa at the moment. So with such a popular figure now facing these heinous allegations, the example that has been set for his fans and followers is poor.

Amongst other things, SABC Livhu – real name Livhuwani Madadzhe – is accused of physically striking his partner, and she claims that sexual assault also took place. Her child has also been on the end of the suspected abuse, with the youngest victim saying that she was forced into a dog cage by the public figure.

Mother murders her children to spite their grandmother

A mother who prayed with her children before suffocating them has been sentenced to 22 years and six months in jail for the murders.

Busisiwe Labi, 34, was sentenced for the horrific crimes, which she claimed to have committed to hurt their grandmother, who had refused to accept her homosexuality, in the Bhisho High Court this week.

NPA Regional spokesperson, Anelisa Ngcakani, said Labi had lived at her home in Dimbaza with her children, her mother and her two siblings. She suffocated her two boys, one-year-old Othandwayo and six-year-old Amyoli, to death while her mother and siblings were not present at home. 

East London horror: Body of 23-year-old female law student found in SUITCASE

A gruesome murder scene has rocked the Eastern Cape. The body of a 23-year-old female student was recently found in a suitcase in Quigney, East London. Not only is it Women’s Month but to make matters worse, there was a black bag next to the suitcase that contained other body parts. 

SAPS Crime Prevention members were patrolling at Fitzpatrick Road on Thursday 19 August 2021 in the morning when they were stopped by a motorist informing them about a body that was seen in a suitcase. 

On their arrival at the corner of Fleet Street and Fitzpatrick road a suitcase with a body of a 23-year-old female was found, next to it was a black bag with other body parts.

Basic Education Dept: Disruptions to learning reach CRISIS level

The Department of Basic Education is sounding the alarm at the rate at which classroom time has been lost due to the COVID-19 and has warned of the consequences, should the situation continue.

The department is already under fire from stakeholders for its decision to scrap the school holidays, scheduled from 1-11 October. In a statement, it says the school closures have resulted in the reversal of gains made in the last 20 years.

“We have now begun to measure COVID-19 related learning losses in South Africa by comparing how much children learned in 2020 with how much they learned in a normal school year before that. These measures indicate that between 50% and 75% of a normal year’s worth of learning was lost during 2020,” said Dr Stephen Taylor, Director for Research at the Department of Basic Education.

The department argues that the delay in the start of the 2021 academic year and the extended absence of learners from school would have a long lasting negative impact on society in general and not only for the education sector.

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